Bringing Integrity to the Written Word

SPREADING CHRISTMAS CHEER
The city that has been thus far impersonal and unfriendly, has become enchanted with the Christmas spirit. Perhaps its my own Christmas cheer that has changed my outlook. Unseeing strangers, bustling passersby and unfriendlies have been replaced with smiles, “Happy Holidays,” “God Bless,” and helpful strangers. Silent bus rides with strangers have become community parties and conversations, and even the most curmudgeonly of folks are generous with their smiles.
I suspect its the bell-ringers. Perhaps we’re like rats in a maze, trained to respond to the sound of a bell. With a ringer on every corner, each toll of their bell triggers a trained response in all of us to be cheerful. Commuting to the office the other day I witnessed a stuffy-looking business man throwing himself between the closing doors of the mall shuttle, forcing them to open for an elderly woman who was hurrying to get on. He stepped off and helped her up the step, then made sure she was seated safely as the bus left.
The last leg of my commute involves crossing a busy street that includes an on-ramp to the freeway. On the opposite corner stood a man, with his backpack and everything he owned propped up against a sign, holding a sign asking for money. Even though the crossing sign boasted the green “walk” sign, anxious commuters weren’t stopping to allow me to cross. The man saw my frustration, and quickly stepped out into traffic, holding up his hand and stopping cars, then waving me across the street.
“Merry Christmas ma’am!” he yelled as I passed him.
“Merry Christmas to you sir.” I said. “Thank you.”